Modeling of Neuronal Damage Due to Subconcussive Impacts Experienced in Contact Sports
Abstract
Repetitive head trauma, as well as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), have been found to strongly correlate with dementia development. Hyperphosphorylated proteins are consistently found in dementia pathologies, while certain diets have been found to attenuate progression. It was hypothesized that both primary and secondary injury in TBI, as well as dietary factors, influence the progression of neurodegeneration, which could theoretically predict the development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Using diffusion tensor imaging and collected data from tri-axial accelerometers and gyroscopes throughout a football season, quantification of the microstructural fractional anisotropy in the brain's white matter volume, due to the number and magnitude of hits, was determined. Additionally, the interactions between flavonoids and the lipid peroxidation product acrolein on the aggregation of proteins, tau and TDP-43, were measured in vitro using spectrophotometry and ultra-centrifugation. Utilizing curve fitting softwares and published data, a multifactoral model was created to predict the development of CTE due to a career of football. Analyzing the sensitivity of each contributing factor, it was determined that the most influential factors in developing markers for dementia were the number of hits each season during high school, college, and professional football, as well as the number of years playing professionally. Additional approaches in the future include monitoring athletes' acrolein plasma and cerebrospinal levels during their career, as well as further examining effects of flavonoids and peroxidation on the phosphorylation of proteins in vivo. Finally, refinement of the mathematical modeling of protein phosphorylation during the progression of CTE is necessary to better understand its development.
Degree
M.S.B.M.E.
Advisors
Nauman, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Neurosciences|Biomedical engineering
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